Stay for several hours, the evening, or for those wanting a chance to possibly see and hear unusual birds, the night.
Mountain
bluebirds may be seen at the Klamath Marsh National
Wildlife Refuge.
Tours of the remote, little-visited
Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in northern
Klamath County are planned Saturday and Sunday.
Reservations are necessary and can be made
by contacting Dave Menke of the Klamath Basin
National Wildlife Refuges at (530) 667-2231. There
is no charge for the trip, but participants will be
responsible for their own meals and transportation.
Trip guides and participants will meet at the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service office in Klamath Falls on
Oregon Avenue
at 8:30 a.m
People can either drive back to Klamath
Falls or reassemble later for evening wildlife
viewing, when other opportunities may be available.
The refuge is known for the reclusive yellow rails,
a nocturnal bird that, according to Menke, “is more
often heard than seen.”
Sightings of snipes, which do aerial
displays in the evenings, and listening for owls and
other nocturnal birds and wildlife, will also be
possible.
For people willing to stay overnight in
the northern Klamath County area, an early morning
refuge birding trip will be offered Sunday.
“The trip is expected to provide views of
some of the Basin’s most spectacular scenery, in
addition to searching out mountain bluebirds,
western tanagers, black terns, wood ducks, sandhill
cranes and many other species,” Menke said.
For families
He sa d the main trip, which is designed
for families and beginning birdwatchers along with
experienced birdwatchers, will run until
mid-afternoon. Most of the viewing will be done
from vehicles.
The Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
was established in 1958 to protect the high
elevation marsh, which has excellent views of mounts
Thielsen and Scott. It originally had 16,400 acres
but was expanded to 40,646 acres following purchases
in 1990 and 1998. Of that acreage, 37,023 acres, or
more than 90 percent, is in wetlands.
That trip is expected to end about 11 a.m.
There is no housing or camping on the refuge, but
there are motels in Chiloquin and Silver Lake and
camping on neighboring Forest Service land.
Participants should provide their own
food, drinking water, mosquito repellent, sunscreen,
light jackets, sturdy shoes and, in case of wet
weather, rain gear.